Federico Borobio
Street and documentary photography
I was born and live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since I was young I understood that I wanted to have many lives, that one life would not be enough to satisfy my desire to experience different realities. I have been a lawyer, journalist, audiovisual producer, co-director of a cultural space and a short film festival, cultural manager, teacher and, for more than eight years now, my obsession is to go out with my camera to let myself be surprised by people, places, situations, serendipities and that kind of beautifully unpredictable thing.
I love walking the streets, they are my jungle. I enjoy observing their dynamics and details, talking to people, learning about their lives, bonding, and for all of that to permeate my work. I see everything transforming in front of me in combinations of people, lights, colors, shadows. Furthermore, I always felt like a fish in the water among a crowd, whether it is at a sporting event, a festival for the people, or a protesting demonstration. These energies lift me up and nourish my photography.
If I have to define genres, I could say that I do street, documentary and social photography, although I don’t care about these kinds of labels. I wander, I interact, I search and search for myself, that’s all. At this stage, in this life, what interests me most is to continue transforming myself through these experiences and evolving along with my photography.
Competitions and awards
· The Independent Photographer, Street Photography Competition 2024. 1st Prize. Competition Judge: Jonathan Jasberg. United Kingdom, October 2024.
· Praxis Gallery: The Streets. Juried by Valérie Jardin. Selected. United States, September 2024.
· Bestselected Project — “Humans”. Winner. Italy, September, 2024.
· Progress Festival 2024. Honorable Mentions. Technical Category Zac. September, 2024.
· Street Photo Contest “Conexión Calle”. Selected. Mexico, 2024.
· Tokyo International Foto Awards. Honorable mention People-Culture, 2024.
· URBAN Photo Awards 2024. Semifinalist, Projects category. 2024.
· All About Photo Magazine Contest. Theme: Street. October 2023.
· FFIEL International Photography Competition. Finalist in the urban category. Guadalajara, Mexico, 2023.
· Latin American Documentary Photography Contest “Los Trabajos y los Días” (Jobs and Days). Selected Final Exhibition. Colombia, 2023.
· Sony World Photography Awards 2023. Shortlisted. Latin America Professional Award Category.
· Mobile Photo Awards 2022. Street Photography Category. Honorable Mention.
· Pinélides Fusco Award for political photography. Second Prize. Faculty of Arts UNLP. La Plata, Argentina, 2020.
· Mobile Photo Awards 2018. Photo Journalism Category. Honorable Mention.
Publications
· Havana smiles and laughs. ProgresFestival Magazine. Octubre 2023.
· The Streets 2024 (Magazine). Praxis Gallery. September 2024.
· Docu Magazine. Special Edition. Federico Borobio. June 2024.
· All About Photo Magazine #36: STREET. December 2023.
· F-STOP Magazine: Issue #125: OPEN THEME 2024. Online group show, 2024.
· F-STOP Magazine: Issue #123: COLOR 2024. Online group show, 2024.
· The incredible story of Lidia, Jesús and Toti. Progressive Street. September 2023.
· The Patron Saint of Impossible Causes. Progressive Street. May 2023.
· Collapse, from the euphoria of change to the Argentina of helplessness. Editorial. Galerna. Compiler: Mónica Hasenberg. Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2019.
· Ser Voluntario en Imágenes (Being a Volunteer in Images). Book of the contest of the same name, organized by the Asociación Civil Rumbo Sur. Buenos Aires, Argentina. December 2018.
Exhibitions
· 2nd Street Connection Exhibit. Group show. Acolmiztli Nezahualcóyotl Theater, Chimalhuacán, México. November 2024.
· The Streets. Group show. Praxis Gallery and Photo Arts Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. September 2024.
· Street Connection. Group show. Faro de Oriente, Mexico City, Mexico. September 2024.
· Now we have our hopes up again. Group exhibition. Casa de la Cultura, Rio Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina. September 2024.
· Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in Lima, Peru. Group exhibition. Museum of Contemporary Art, Lima, Peru. February 2024.
· Trastienda VIP 2023-2024. Group exhibition. Arcimboldo Contemporary Art, Buenos Aires, December 2023.
· “Democracia Argentina 40 años” (Argentine Democracy 40 years). Group show. Arcimboldo Contemporary Art. Buenos Aires, November 2023.
· URBAN Photo Awards — Photo Fringe Tour 2023. URBAN Unveils the City and its Secrets. Group exhibition. Palazzo delle Poste centrali, Trieste, Italy. October 2023.
· Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in Bogota, Colombia. El Cubo Colsubsidio, Bogotá, Colombia. August 2023.
· Homage to Pinélides Aristóbulo Fusco — Political Photography Award. Group exhibition. Faculty of Arts UNLP, La Plata, Argentina. December 2020.
· “Cazadores de Imágenes” (Image Hunters), Photographs IV Jalón Ángel International Photography Award. Group exhibition. Museum of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. March 2019.
Jobs
· Since 2005 I direct and produce the portal Recursos Culturales, considered the most important Spanish-speaking informative website about calls and opportunities for artists, managers and entrepreneurs.
· In 2018 I launched the community cultural project El Comando de la Felicidad (The Happiness Command), to bring art to children in vulnerable communities of the City of Buenos Aires.
· Between 2008 and 2020 I was a teacher of workshops on Financing and Design of Cultural Projects, being invited as a speaker and jury specialized in the subject by companies and educational institutions.
· In 2014 I founded the digital magazine Emprende Cultura, launched through a crowdfunding campaign.
· Between 2000 and 2004 I was associate director of the cultural production company and space La Nave de los Sueños and the independent short film festival Sueños Cortos.
· Between 1994 and 2000 I worked as a video editor and freelance journalist, and between 1987 and 1991 as a lawyer.
Studies
· Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales. Postgraduate in Cultural Policies and Citizen Participation. Postgraduate in Management and Politics in Culture and Communication.
· CIEVYC-Centro de Investigación y Experimentación en Video. Audiovisual Production.
· TEA-Taller Escuela Agencia. Senior Technician in Journalism.
· Universidad de Buenos Aires. Law and Procurement. Sociology.